South Korea: LG rolls out First 3D HD Units

March 31, 2010

LG Electronics is predicting it can sell just under one-million 3D HD sets in 2010 which it estimates would represent about 25 percent of the fledgling global 3D market.

LG follows only fellow South Korean maker Samsung in HD units sold on a worldwide basis these days (sometimes depending on the fiscal quarter) — although relative upstart Vizio is tops in America. Several other manufacturers are now gearing up to ship their first 3D units to retailers, as well, even though there currently remains a severe shortage of actual 3D content to watch. (Remember when they used to say the same about HD and that chicken-and-egg analogy not too many years ago?)

"Our goal is boosting market share in 3D TVs and you can clearly see that, as our target for 3D market share is 10 percentage points above our LCD TV sales target," Havis Kwon, the head of LG's LCD division, last week told the news media in Seoul, including Reuters.

Kwon said LG projects the global 3D television market (virtually all 3DTV is also HD) will produce about 3.8 million units this year — and to more than triple that in 2011.

LG 3D units under the Infinia brand are going on sale this week (April 1) in South Korea. It will launch its products globally in May or June.